


The Same

by mag_and_mac



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angry Tony, Angry Tony Stark, Arguing, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, B.A.R.F. | Binarily Augmented Retro Framing, Bad Ending, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, F/M, I'm Going to Hell, M/M, Not A Fix-It, Past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Time Travel, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-09 13:48:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19477165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mag_and_mac/pseuds/mag_and_mac
Summary: "You're no different than the man who broke the Avengers. You're not wiser or reformed or more understanding. You're the same."His words were pointed and vicious, and Steve could still hardly breathe over the ferocity.





	The Same

**Author's Note:**

> this isnt anti steve I'm just so fucking pissed still about how they completely ruined his character arc so it's more anti russo than anything

Steve almost hated how prepared Stark had been for his own death.

He flipped the disc between his hands almost carelessly as he stood next to his sofa.

It had shown up by his door, no name or address, just a small red and gold circle that was just gaudy enough to know who it was from.

Apparently everyone had gotten one.

Steve toyed with it a bit more, hardly sure he even wanted to know Tony's last words to him. It was almost comforting to have a last message unknown. To have a little part of him forever. To know there would always be something else for Tony to say to him.

But it also completely tore him from his soul to his heart and it ate at his mind and his thoughts and his words until his life became a fog.

So he caught the little disc one last time, and didn't toss it up again. The only thing he knew about it was it was the hologram technology he had made for PTSD therapy. The only thing he knew was he would get to see Tony again.

So he pressed the gold little button in the middle, and tried to remember how to breathe as the image of a single man made the room feel ten times smaller.

"Hey Steve," Said Tony, and Steve's breath was gone. His lungs burned and his throat was too small and his ears rang and his eyes clouded, but he didn't know how to turn it off so the mechanic was allowed to continue.

Tony's brown eyes narrowed slightly as they managed to burn directly into his.

"I know what you guys have to do with the stones now. I know you want to go return them."

Steve was still standing, unable to move. 

"You never fucking change, do you? It's always the same shit time after time and somehow it's okay and everyone accepts it because it's _you_ and Captain fucking America is always right, isn't he?"

The soldier remained silent.

"I know what you're going to do. Of course I fucking know because you don't learn. Life had no consequences to you, does it? You get whatever the hell you want and you never see what people have to go through for that, you just take it and take it and you still complain."

The hologram was still looking directly at him.

"You're no different than the man who broke the Avengers. You're not wiser or reformed or more understanding. You're the same."

His words were pointed and vicious, and Steve could still hardly breathe over the ferocity.

"Don't you dare. _Don't you fucking dare_."

The hologram ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen, I loved you. But not like this. How can I love this? You're running away. Like a coward. You're running back to a woman who moved on, to a life that was fine without you. Fuck off, Captain. Fuck you."

Tony's hand was back behind him, gripping the table ledge he was leaning on.

"You're telling me all that fighting for Bucky and he's still not your first choice? All the friends you have here? The family? None of that matters to you?"

Steve looked down at his hands as he finally sat. He rubbed one hand over the back of the other. He frowned at the spots on the leathery skin, and couldn't bring himself to look up as the hologram said its final words before fizzling out.

"You're just as selfish," Tony whispered with a shaking head, "You haven't changed. You're just as fucking selfish as you always were."

"I'm dead, Steve. You're not. I know I can't actually stop you here, but please," Tony looked up, brown eyes staring straight into blue ones, "Don't you fucking dare."

Steve turned his hand over and examined the dry skin on his palm. 

_Too late._

The thought was almost bitter on the old man's mind.


End file.
